Cambodian soccer club Angkor Tiger FC, based in Siem Riep, has formed a collaboration with Singapore-based global GameFi platform Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd. (DEA). Japanese-affiliated Angkor Tiger FC aims to harness DEA’s ecosystem and play to earn games in order to boost the Cambodian economy post covid as well as the club. Akihiro Kato, Angkor Tiger FC’s Japanese owner can even envisage the partnership potentially paving the way for a new form of club management further down the line.
Angkor Tiger FC Gaming Guilds and Boosting the Economy
Angkor Tiger FC will act as a ‘gaming guild’ within the DEA’s play-to-earn ecosystem. Gaming guilds are investors of an ecosystem that invest in NFTs of the platforms’ play to earn games and generate revenue in this way. These games will be played and revenue generated as a result. This concept of ‘gaming guilds’ is not a new one, particularly within Southeast Asia, and is a way of creating new jobs for a lot of people within the region. For further confirmation of this, look no further than Axie Infinity.
In the case of Angkor Tiger FC, the soccer club’s gaming guilds will be purchasing NFTs and in-game items on DEA’s ‘PlayMining’ platform by utilising the club’s sponsors’ investments.
The soccer club’s owner Akihiro Kato is optimistic that this partnership will help strengthen the Cambodian economy and the club simultaneously:
“Our aim is to be more than just a soccer club. In our hometown of Siem Reap, usually a vibrant tourist destination, many people have lost their jobs because of the Corona pandemic. As we were thinking about what we could do as a club besides soccer, we met Mr. Yoshida and decided to start the Tiger Guild project because we saw the possibility of improving the livelihood of our supporters and the people of Siem Reap. I would like to team up with DEA to create a new form of club management for the next era.”
Cambodia was one of the worst-hit global economies since the COVID-19 pandemic and now the country is facing many uphill battles to get back to the economic status it once was before the pandemic. Rising unemployment levels combined with the stagnation of economic activities are at the centre of Cambodian problems. However, Akihiro Kato and Angkor Tiger FC firmly believe that this partnership is one way to try to spark some life back into the Cambodian economy. The club aims to create new income streams in Cambodia by leveraging DEA’s diverse range of play to earn games. The club are also encouraging gaming rewards to also be pumped back into the club in order to stimulate the club’s own economy.
This sentiment is also echoed by Naohito Yoshida who is the CEO of DEA:
“The business models we are working on under “PlayMining,” such as GameFi and Play to Earn, are not only a fusion of gaming and fintech, but they also aim to solve sustainable social issues and help people around the world to achieve their goals. We are committed to ensuring that the efforts of DEA and Angkor Tiger FC will contribute to creating jobs and improving people’s livelihood in Cambodia.”
For more information on Angkor Tiger FC, please visit their official website.
For more information on DEA, please visit their official website.
